Ingredients for Yasai Itame – Japanese Stir Fry Vegetables Recipe (野菜炒め)
- 4 oz sliced pork belly
- 4 cups chopped cabbage (4 – 5 cabbage leaves)
- 4 oz bean sprouts
- 1/2 cup sliced carrot
- 1 cup string beans/snap peas/green pepper
- 1 cup sliced yellow onion
- 8 – 9 slices of ginger
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking Instructions for making Yasai Itame – Japanese Stir Fry Vegetables Recipe (野菜炒め)
Thinly slice the yellow onion
Peel the carrot skin before cutting it diagonally into thin slices. I use about half of a carrot.
Thinly slice the green bell pepper. I used a combination of string beans, bell pepper and snap peas but you can just use one cup of either one of them.
If you use snap peas, remove the stem, then pull the string with it and cut them in half
Do the same for the green beans and cut them into 2” long
Peel the ginger skin and cut 8 to 9 thin slices
Thinly slice the garlic clove
Chop the cabbage leaves into bite-sized pieces. I have about 4 or 5 leaves here.
Cut the pork belly slices to about 2” long
Turn the heat on medium-high or high depending on your stove. Heat up 1 tbsp of oil.
Add the ginger and garlic. Stir fry until fragrant.
Add sliced yellow onion and continue to stir fry for another minute
Add the pork belly and cook until it’s no longer pink. Pork belly is a fattier cut. Therefore, I didn’t add a lot of oil in the beginning. The fat released from the pork belly will be enough to stir fry everything.
Add the carrot. You want to add the veggies that take longer to cook in first. Stir continuously.
Add the green beans, snap peas and bell pepper to the mix and stir for a few seconds
Add the cabbage and bean sprouts
For the seasoning, add 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp of oyster sauce and 1/2 tsp of salt. Keep stirring. You can adjust the salt according to your liking.
The entire stir-frying process takes me between 6 to 8 minutes. You want the vegetables cooked but still crunchy, not soft and wilted. Turn off the heat and transfer yasai itame into a serving plate.
Stir-fried vegetables are best served immediately with hot steamy rice. Enjoy!
Watch my instruction video here: https://youtu.be/x3agg4FrHCw
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